Homeless people who were receiving support at the Santa Bárbara Barracks, in Arroios, will be transferred to the Manutenção Militar, in Beato.
At the end of February, the Lisbon City Council guaranteed that the The existing unit at the Santa Bárbara Barracks will be replaced by a new space located in the North Wing of the Military Maintenance complex.located on Rua do Grilo, in Beato. In a statement, the municipality argues that this is the "the best possible alternative and solution for the future in the reception of homeless people in Lisbon".
The purpose of securing the transfer of these properties will be to set up the Municipal Emergency Accommodation Center. The site in question will undergo extensive intervention and adaptation works for its intended purpose and should be operational by the end of 2024. The lease of the space, granted by the government still in office, will run for a period of 20 years and can be extended by agreement of the parties up to a maximum of 50 years.
"This was a problem that had been going on for a long time and for which we always sought the best possible solution. From the outset, we tried to get the government [António Costa's] to accept our proposal, but after much hesitation and contradictory answers, it was finally possible to reach this outcome"said Carlos Moedas, Mayor of Lisbon, in a note sent to the media. "This is an important signal in an extremely complex social area with increasingly demanding challenges. We are investing heavily in policies to respond to homelessness and this is another important step in that strategy."
This strategy was approved at the beginning of this year by the city council. It is the Municipal Plan for People Experiencing Homelessness 2024-2030The document includes investments of around 70 million euros over the next few years. The document, which was in public consultation which is expected to be finalized soon, aims to meet 21 objectives and 81 concrete measures on five fronts of intervention: on the one hand, prevention; on the other, street intervention; also housing, social insertion and also a front in terms of knowledge and communication.
"This is not an easy issue and it's a problem that exists in the city. We haven't stood still, given up or lowered our arms in this fight. From day one I said that I wanted to make Lisbon a city that cares. A city that takes care of those who need it most. A city that leaves no one behind and it is in this sense that we are implementing the biggest response ever to people experiencing homelessness"Moedas added in a statement.
The Accommodation Center located in the Santa Bárbara Barracks, in Arroios, was inaugurated in 2021, as an emergency response to the Covid-19 pandemic, with the aim of offering support to people experiencing homelessness. This space was established through an investment of 1.2 million euros, decided by the previous city council, under the PS presidency, and was always going to be a temporary solution, not least because it was planned to convert the barracks into affordable rental housing in the future. Last year, the council now led by Moedas was faced with a request from Fundiestamo, the state company that manages public assets, to vacate the military building. The stipulated deadline was September 30, 2023; however, this eviction did not take place, because Lisbon City Council was awaiting a response from the central government on an alternative space for the Accommodation Center, namely the North Wing of the Military Maintenance complex.
It's worth remembering that last summer, all parties sitting on the municipal executive were in agreement on maintaining the response and shelter for the homeless in the city centerThis turned out to be impossible, as the council was unable to find any property (municipal or central government) available in the area for this purpose.
